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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23526097">Is it Just Because My Body is Warm?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lestire_Iillas/pseuds/Lestire_Iillas'>Lestire_Iillas</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Banner Saga (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BDSM, Because of course he is, Consent Play, Ludin is a kinky bastard, M/M, Other, Trans Male Character, and gender in relation to leadership, discussion of reproductive biology, let's get political and talk about sex, second person pov because this is a banner saga fic, trans Ludin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:55:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23526097</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lestire_Iillas/pseuds/Lestire_Iillas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hakon senses a growing interest in him coming from Prince Ludin. But, there may be too many complications between them for anything to come of it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hakon/Ludin (The Banner Saga), past Hakon/various, past Ludin/various men</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Hakon: Smoke</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You're helping to set up camp for the night, setting up tents and carrying supplies from the wagons, when you pass the Prince and his entourage.</p><p>"... but if I had to put coin on it, I'd bet Bersi would win a fight between you two. No offense, Yrsa." Ludin, words dripping like honey, doesn't sound like he really cares if he offends her.</p><p>Yrsa chuckles, "He's not going to sleep with you, even if you keep fanning his ego like that."</p><p>Bersi looks at him, deadly serious, "You're not my type."</p><p>Ludin rolls his eyes, "I'm heartbroken. After all, you're <em>so</em> my type - long black hair, tall..." The prince glances over at you, letting you know that he's very aware you can hear them talking, "... big horns."</p><p>Yrsa follows his gaze and bursts out in a cackle that you think truly befits a witch. You shake your head, and move on.</p><p>-</p><p>The snowfall has gotten bitter this far north. Prince Ludin has taken to following just behind you, his small feet easily falling into your footsteps. Faint, you hear a melody on the wind. You look around to find the source, and Ludin looks up at you, his skin red from the cold. It stops, and he goes a little redder as your focus stays on him. You raise an eyebrow and rumble, "I like it. What song was that?"</p><p>He looks at the ground and tucks some loose hair behind his ear, barely hiding a smile, "It was nothing. The storm just reminded me of a song my mother used to sing. <em>'Chill does the north wind blow, To coat the fields in snow, Fast, the drifts, they grow, And shine in the moon's white glow...'</em> Well, except the bit about the moon, I suppose."</p><p>"Mm. It's pretty how you sing it."</p><p>"Pretty?" He grins earnestly, "The word sounds strange coming from you."</p><p>You hear a laugh coming from Gunnulf a little way behind you both, and turn to glare at him. He makes a show of pretending not to notice. "Mind your faen business!"</p><p>-</p><p>The Dredge had appeared suddenly, attacking from two sides at once. Your skin is littered with small cuts, and you feel a bruised rib starting to stab at your nerves. A grunt lunges at you with its mace, and you barely side-step it, slamming your axe into the crack in its armour at the throat. It makes a roaring, grating sound and recoils, hiding behind a stoneguard.</p><p>And then you hear a sound strange to the battlefield. You turn your head and see blood fly from Ludin's mouth, as the last fraction of that <em>moan</em> dies in his vocal cords. But you can still see it in his low-lidded eyes, his heaving chest, and then it's over and he lunges back at the Dredge that just injured him.</p><p>-</p><p>The shieldmaiden sits you down with a tired glare, "You two again?"</p><p>Ludin, lip bleeding and usually-pristine tunic torn and muddy, smiles at you almost blissed-out. Self-satisfied. You shake your head, then wince from the throbbing of your leg as she tightens a bandage around it. </p><p>"Why is it so often the two of you I see after we're in a skirmish? There're fresh-faced kids posing as fighters who don't get picked on by the Dredge as much as you." She sighs.</p><p>"Well," Ludin sounds like he's still got some blood in his mouth, "Hakon always charges out before calling any orders, so he's the first to be in range of the stoneslingers. Ends up getting pelted almost immediately."</p><p>You steam at that, "You make it sound like I don't learn from my mistakes. Coming from you, who kept trying to skewer that towering slag before even cracking its armour. You, who has been fighting against real enemies since all of last month, while I've been doing it for centuries."</p><p>The shieldmaiden chimes in, "Aye, and it's the work of the Gods you made it this long, the way you act."</p><p>Ludin laughs. You think this is the most relaxed you've ever seen him. Something about it makes it impossible to keep your anger up. You let out a chuckle at your own expense as well. And then your side aches from the mace wound.</p><p>The woman is about to cut away the fabric of your shirt, when you put up a hand, pull it free from the drying blood, and sling it off rather than further injure the cloth. Ludin stares at you from the corner of his eye, rolling his gaze over your skin. So you grin and flex your less-damaged pectoral, and you see him suck in a little gasp and try to disguise it.</p><p>As the shieldmaiden starts stitching you up, Ludin is humming again. He waits a bit to speak, letting her do her work and then saying, "It <em>is</em> hard to resist rushing in - the thrill is... truly something."</p><p>"You get used to it, princeling," You speak low.</p><p>He eyes you honestly, almost worried, "I don't know if I want to. I mean, you wouldn't want to 'get used to' good mead, or sex, would you? Otherwise, if it's just routine, where's the joy in it?"</p><p>"I can see what you mean." You wince as the needle catches on your skin. </p><p>And then you both ask each other at the same time, "Wait, Varl have sex?" "<em>Aren't</em> luxuries routine for you?"</p><p>He half-smiles, volunteering his answer first, "Yes and no."</p><p>"And I'll answer you the same way," You cock an eyebrow, just daring him to pry further, "Yes and no."</p><p>He doesn't ask anything further, seemingly sated with your non-response. It's a long day after that, of being laid up to rest and recover, with some other fighters getting their wounds tended to, and Ludin takes the excuse of a crowded tent to move closer to you. You can't quite read the expression he has when he steals glances at you, but you can feel the hunger growing in him as he does.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Ludin: Embers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Yes and no. Yes and no.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You feel his huge arms encircle you. His broad chest is against your back, the muscles moving under his skin. His hot breath is at your ear, his facial hair bristling on the cartilage, and he groans, "Ludin..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There's thrusting, inside you, and you're wet, and...</em>
</p><p>You wake to the sound of laughter outside your tent, and the ever-present sun filtering in. You sigh, realising you <em>are</em> wet from the dream, but that it left you tremendously unsatisfied. Your mind couldn't even fill in the blanks of Varl anatomy you're unsure about.</p><p>As you're dressing and readying yourself for the day of travel, you hear Bersi's slow drawl mumble something. You step outside and find yourself face-to-face with Hakon - this time, real and fully clothed. You feel some heat rise in your cheeks at the awful things running through your head. He has that thin smile and raised eyebrow, the look he gets when he's self-assured and has a plan. The same as when he's raising his axe and about to charge at a Dredge. "Good, I was hoping to catch you."</p><p>"What is it?" </p><p>He sighs, "Can we speak privately?"</p><p>You have to aggressively push down the excitement that question elicits, before you say, "Certainly. Come in."</p><p>He has to hunch his neck so his horns don't scrape the fabric on the roof of the tent, and he takes a moment to adjust to his surroundings. You forgot that he's never really been in your space, and see him eye the books, the papers, the furniture fit for travel. And then he examines you, as if looking for something. "Don't take this the wrong way, and you can refuse if you feel it's beneath you. I'd like to offer some advice."</p><p>You tilt your head, cautious. "Go on."</p><p>"You've taken some hard hits each time we're in a fight. Normally I wouldn't say anything, but if you fall under my watch, you know how that'll look. It's one thing for Vognir to die on this journey, but the human prince as well? No one would think it <em>wasn't</em> foul play, and - "</p><p>"Hakon," You feel a swell of embarrassment, "I can take care of myself. I'm not fragile."</p><p>He narrows his eyes, and grabs your wrist in a flash of movement he should've been too slow for. Hakon pulls your sleeve back, showing you the purple bruise you already knew was there. "Aren't you?"</p><p>Your eyes are wide, and you feel your heartbeat raise to your throat. You want to play with fire. You close any gap there was between you, smoothly slipping a hand up his tunic to where you know there are stitches still healing at his ribcage. "What about you?"</p><p>There's fire in Hakon's eyes, and you feel his grip on your arm tighten. He could crush your bones so easily if he wanted to. And maybe he does right now. In this moment, though, you look like you could be dancing, with your hand stretched up to his side and his gripping you. He doesn't move to maintain his personal space, just towers over you, "It's no contest, Ludin."</p><p>"I think it is."</p><p>And then his hand around your arm is just tight enough, and you feel the sharp ache of the bruise reignited. You can't stop the sound that comes from you when you feel it - it'd be so much better if it was a cry of pain, but it's unmistakably not. "Ohh..."</p><p>Your eyes flutter closed, the pressure on your arm leaving you vulnerable in so many ways. You, pressed up against Hakon, feel something twitch. Before you can process how fantastic <em>that</em> piece of knowledge is, he's collected both your wrists with one hand, and knelt down in front of you. By the time you open your eyes again, he's studying you carefully. His face is closer than it's been to yours, possibly ever.</p><p>"H-Hakon," and he looks at you like you're a person again, "What are you doing?"</p><p>He makes a sound like a deep purr, "I was just curious. Had a question, and now I think it's been answered."</p><p>You don't know what to make of that. He's still got you completely at his mercy, even if his hold on you softens in his contentment, and it brings you that same rush that you get when a Dredge slams into you with intent to kill. You feel alive, caught in the present, and it's positively cruel of him to give you such a taste of mad pleasure. You don't pull your hands back from his fist because you want to hold on to this, chase this feeling in a safer setting than the battlefield. You want to tell him but absolutely should not.</p><p>He nods and lets you go - you stumble, your legs feeling weak. A real release, your tension relaxed, another mortifying noise tumbles from your lips. He stands above you for a moment while you get up from your knees, and then he turns to leave.</p><p>"Hakon, wait." You can hear the want in your voice.</p><p>He pauses, but doesn't look back at you.</p><p>"What do you want? I'll do... anything." You hear his breath hitch for a moment. He gazes at you from the corner of his eye, back still to you. </p><p>"I want," He growls like a wild animal, "to follow my desires. Slake my curiosity. And I want," He moves to you with a fluidity of form that makes you feel like you're dreaming again, takes your jaw in his hand like a dried flower, delicate and ready to crumble at any moment, "I want you to let me do it."</p><p>You tremble, "Faen..."</p><p>And then he leaves.</p><p>It's another few bright nights before Hakon invites himself to accompany you to your tent following dinner. You hold your head high on the walk there, even if every one of Hakon's footsteps shakes you to your core. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Hakon: Flint</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He's standing tall and outwardly composed in the centre of his tent. You walk a slow circle around him, taking in his full figure. His hair is well-brushed, little ringlets forming at the tips, and his tunic has been mended recently, so he looks particularly noble, as well as alluring, right now; it hugs his waist and the slit in the front gives you a tempting look at his leather-covered thighs. You stop right in front of him, then sit down on the rug insulating the ground. He looks almost surprised, and he smiles when you take his hand, the slender bones piquing a tactile interest in you.</p><p>"What do you want this to be?" You ask him, straightforward as possible.</p><p>Ludin seems like he didn't expect that, and takes a moment to consider. "Whatever you want it to be."</p><p>"That's not an answer. I don't know what you want to <em>do</em>, and what would cross a line." </p><p>His jaw clenches. "I want to be at your mercy, Hakon. I want to feel the thrill of danger, to be subject to your desire."</p><p>You raise an eyebrow at that, "You want to lose control?" You pull him down and pin him down on the ground, to which he seems to resist, but closes his eyes with an energised vocalisation. You're overtop of him, you lower your head to his and speak as softly as you can, "You do have limits, though."</p><p>He frowns, but doesn't try to get up. "Of course."</p><p>"If I'm going to put you in danger... or at least give you the <em>feeling</em> of danger, you need a way to let me know it's gone too far." You look him in the eyes now, letting him know that you're being serious.</p><p>He takes a moment to consider, "You mean a watchword."</p><p>You laugh, "Yes. I thought I'd have to explain it."</p><p>"I use 'Arberrang'. Does that work?" </p><p>You raise an eyebrow, a little surprised by his confidence. "Yeah, that works. You've done this kind of thing before?"</p><p>"Well," He looks around, suddenly more present and realising that he's lying on the ground under you. He gets up and you move to accommodate, "Not exactly. I've played out some false situations with men before, but they were... quaint. Not enough for me. Have you?"</p><p>"When you live as long as we do, you end up doing just about everything once."</p><p>"Indulge me, Hakon," He holds his breath for a moment, "You said 'yes and no'. I wonder what you meant."</p><p>You nod slowly, "Most Varl never desire sex. Those of us who do tend to find that closeness with our shield-brothers. And even then, it's... not quite what humans do, as far as I know - but you all talk about it so little that I could be wrong."</p><p>He laughs, "Prudes, the lot of us. Though I wonder how we both use the same idea, the watchword, if you keep to yourselves so much."</p><p>"Oh, no," You grin, "I learned that from humans."</p><p>He tilts his head, curious, "Oh."</p><p>"We have less of a culture around sex. Can't reproduce, not with ourselves or with humans. But you can, so even if it's kept so private among your kind, there is a simmering implication in half the things you say..." You shrug, "Once you open a human up, there's a flood of repression that comes out."</p><p>Ludin nods, as though what you said is just understood. "That reminds me, ah..." A kind of discomfort you've never seen on him flares up, "I don't know what you expect when you're with a human, or where your preferences lie. I don't know how you understand gender, since, well..." He gestures to you, and you get the feeling he's gesturing to all Varl by proxy, "I'm a man."</p><p>"And I'm not concerned with being emasculated by that."</p><p>He closes his eyes. You cut him off, apparently. "I can't really emasculate you the way most men can." He's struggling with his words, "There's a story in my family's banner about a man transformed to a woman by the gods, because she begged them to let her marry the man she loved. Or, at least, that's what's sewn in. My father told me the truth about it when I was young - she was raised as a man, because she was her father's only child and he needed an heir, but she grew to know she <em>was </em>a woman, and that was just the story her family went with to keep their reputation."</p><p>You rumble, "Why are you telling me this?"</p><p>"Because I was raised the same way, for the same reason. Only, I never felt it was wrong. I like being a man, even if I do it wrong." He's not looking at you anymore, focussed on a point in the middle distance past your shoulder.</p><p>You're both quiet for a moment. "You know we Varl don't give a flying faen about human gender, right?"</p><p>He chuckles. "Right." He lets out a relieved breath. "I just thought you should know. Wasn't sure what you would think."</p><p>"I'm just interested in exploring whatever you have to offer."</p><p>Ludin meets your gaze, his half-closed eyes soft. He smiles cautiously. "We should be all right, then."</p><p>You nod, and look at his parted lips. You lean forward. You feel his hot breath on your skin, and he leans in to kiss you. You're scared you'll break him for a moment, but then you thread your fingers through his hair and he moans into your mouth, and you think you can hold yourself back enough to do this. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Ludin: Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>this is... just porn. whoops. there's a little bit of consensual non-consent, so be warned if that's not your cup of tea.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hakon lifts you up, and all of a sudden, you're straddling one of his legs. One of his hands is on your back, and it feels wide enough to curve halfway around your torso, as though you're a doll in his grasp. You feel the heaviness of his horns weighing upon his head as he kisses you carefully. Your knee is awfully close to... well, you're not quite sure what it's close to, but it's far up his inner thigh. He pulls back for a moment, looking you deep in the eye. He gives you a once-over and you shiver at the heat in his gaze. His other hand, the one not keeping your back upright, slides up your leg and you glance down at it in anticipation. You bite your lip, trying not to let out sounds too desperate.</p><p>"Do you want to stay clothed?" His voice rumbles through you.</p><p>You take a moment to grin, then shake your head. He first tries to pick at your belt, but designed as it is for smaller hands, you remove it yourself. And then his hand runs up under your tunic, hot against your skin. You let him lift it off you, and watch as he runs a thick finger over the scars on your chest. They're more numb than the rest of you, but your whole body feels like an exposed nerve right now, so you're almost grateful for the breathing room. You put your hand over his, marvelling at the difference in size for the thousandth time. You're about to reach for him, about to ask if he'll keep everything on, when his hand dips down between your legs and over your leggings. A huge fingertip presses at you, and your head empties of thought. He starts up a slow rhythm, moving up and down slightly, to catch both your clit and your entrance in suggestion through the thick linen. You shake. You're impatient already.</p><p>It takes effort to look up and hold his gaze, as you feel so wholly observed and so vulnerable, but you do it. You shift your hips to try and give him the easiest angle possible. Instead of rubbing deeper, he catches the neatly-tied strings of your leggings, and pulls. He lifts you once more, and you're overwhelmed by how effortless it seems for him to do so, when he slides the leggings and your underclothes off with a single motion. You cling to his arm, to the hand clamped across your chest. You can't really see past it, so it's all the more of a rush when he nestles that same finger between your bare thighs and curls it up. You can't help but gasp, even if it seems he's just testing the waters, feeling how wet you already are. Your feet can't touch the ground, your body is wholly his to do with as he sees fit. And he circles your clit gently, expertly, before plunging his finger inside you.</p><p>You're frozen still, mouth agape, eyes closed, because <em>gods</em> it's as big as some men's cocks. He seems to understand how he's affecting you, because he keeps it still for a moment while you adjust, before asking, "Ready?"</p><p>And even if you might not be, you automatically breathe, "Yeah."</p><p>He moves slowly - and it's less thrusting than it is curling inside you, so much more directed than the human men you've been with. It takes all your willpower to keep from shouting your pleasure, and you only hold yourself back because you have to walk alongside these people for Gods know how long. You bite your lip and plead with him using nothing but your eyes. He seems to take that positively, reaching a little deeper inside you and speeding up. You can hear how slick you are in the open air. Your legs twitch, unsure where to go with no surface to press against in their building tension. Just as you're starting to feel uncertain about being suspended in midair, he lowers and lays you down on the rug.</p><p>Normally, you might protest about keeping the rug clean, but you're nowhere near thinking about that because he's got one knee holding your leg down, one hand pressing at your collarbones, and the other hand keeping up its rhythm and keeping you delirious. You can already feel an orgasm building shockingly fast, but you've never felt this filled by anything this controlled and intentional before. You gasp out his name. Hakon grins like he just won a game. He doesn't let up at all, and you test out his improvised restraints - not enough to make him think you're trying to get out, just enough to see if he'll hold you down. He does. He makes eye contact, visually reaffirming consent, then slides his finger all the way in. His thumb finds your clit, rubbing just lightly enough to not be painful but firm enough to drive you ever closer to the edge, and then the finger inside you starts making that 'come-hither' motion, only faster, harsher.</p><p>Everything compounds suddenly, and your whole body tenses. You let out a muted cry. Your vision fails you for a few seconds as you peak, all the while feeling the insistent movement of his hand continue. When you see again, nothing's really changed, but everything is in a sharper focus - you see the careful concentration on Hakon's face, the slight hint of sweat breaking out on his skin, and feel how unrelenting his hand is. You're far slicker now, which just means he's sped up, and thankfully given up touching you otherwise. You let yourself feel overwhelmed, but still want more. Again, you test, whispering: "S-slow down..."</p><p>And for a moment he stops, looking like he's going to ask you something, but you lock eyes and he sees the real desire there. You both know you didn't use the watchword, and Gods you hope he gets it. He raises an eyebrow. Then he resumes, no slower - and you feel a second finger threatening to slide in beside the first. You feel a jolt of half-formed fear in wondering how far he'd take it, but it's oddly comforting. He's doing exactly what you want, despite what it might look like. Feeling his continued thrusts as the last of the orgasm fades, you have no time before the promise of a second one is already building at his touch. You faintly hear yourself whine, clutching at the hand holding your chest in place, digging your fingernails into his thick skin. He's still temptingly pressing at you with that second fingertip, but never following through on the motion. You try to close your legs and tighten yourself to feel the friction all the more intensely, but he growls and keeps them spread. That nearly sends you over the edge again.</p><p>"Ah, Hakon, please - I'm - "</p><p>He pulls out of you. <em>Bastard.</em> You're shaking, staring up at him and holding on. He hovers over you, dips down to kiss your neck. Your hips twitch with want, and you wrap your arms around his neck, run your hands through his thick black hair and inhale his scent. It's a little like clay, a reminder that his flesh was crafted by a god. He keeps you pinned and keeps your legs open without fucking you. It's equal parts frustrating and satisfying, and you never want him to let you go.</p>
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